(first posted 7/16/2012) It’s been a long, hot day, and I need to cool off – time to take a bike ride down to the river. And what do I see, like a mirage in the distance? A Union Pacific Streamliner, right out of 1955, sitting on a freight yard siding, and headed by the ultimate of GM’s classic diesel locomotives, a trio of E9s! Sunstroke or heat exhaustion? But as I get closer, I can hear the seventy-two cylinders throbbing away, eager to assault 4800 feet high Willamette Pass on this perfect summer evening; this thing is for real.

One of my biggest unfulfilled ambitions is to take a train over the Cascades in the summer (update: we did, later that summer); I’ve even toyed with the idea of hopping a freight from Eugene to Klamath Falls. But here is this, a childhood and adulthood dream, just waiting for me to climb aboard. Which door will it be?

The story of the streamlined diesel train involves the harmonious convergence of three key technologies: internal combustion locomotion, aerodynamics, and the use of light-weight alloys that were developed by the aeronautical industry. From the earliest days of the 20th century, the opportunities that self-propelled rail cars offered was compelling: lower operating cost, flexibility, and the means to serve smaller lines economically.

These motorized railcars were crude, though, with mechanical clutches, gears, and noisy engines inside the operator’s cabin. How would you like to spend your day right next to this 150 hp Hall-Scott engine? You wonder why his shirtsleeve is oily, with all those exposed rockers?

The idea of exploiting the potential advantages of streamlining a train goes all the back to 1865, with Samuel Calthrop’s patent for an “air-resisting” train. But it would be a number of decades before aerodynamics were actually applied to trains.

The McKeen motorcar, with its parabolic wedge front end, was the first popular application of aerodynamics on the self-propelled motor car. Ironically, it was later found that its aerodynamics were actually better running backwards, with the blunt but rounded end first, and the pointed end last. Oh well; at the speeds these ran, its “wind-splitting” looks were realistically more important than the actual aerodynamic benefits.

But at higher speeds, aerodynamics had significant potential. It was the Germans who first put all the technologies together to create the first modern high-speed lightweight diesel-electric streamliner, the 1933 “Flying Hamburger” Class SVT 137.

A two-unit articulated train, it had two 12 cylinder Maybach diesel engines (810 hp total) that drove the generators for the DC electric traction motors. And the Flying Hamburger came by its name honestly; in regular service between Berlin and Hamburg, it covered the 178 miles in 138 minutes, an average of 77 mph. That would not again be equaled until the new German high-speed ICE trains were instituted on that run in 1997. Its top speed was solidly over 100 mph. Needless to say, it was a pivotal moment in railway history, and one not lost on Americans.

The Flying Hamburger’s breakthrough design and performance undoubtedly led to Pullman ordering an experimental high-speed railcar from the Stout Engineering Laboratories in 1933. William Stout was a pioneer in the use of lightweight metals in airplanes, and had developed the famous Ford Tri-Motor. The “Railplane” had a lightweight welded tube frame covered in duralumin. It weighed a mere 26,000 lbs, and could hit 90 mph powered by just two 100hp truck engines.

All of this led directly to the pivotal request for proposals for a lightweight high-speed streamlined train by the Union Pacific in 1933. Two large rail-car builders, ACF and Pullman, each presented proposals. The Pullman was chosen, and Electro-Motive — originally an engineering service and sales organization which became part of GM in 1931 — was chosen to supply the engine and electric-drive equipment. The result was the groundbreaking M10000.

A three-unit articulated train built almost exclusively out of lightweight aluminum alloy, the M10000 was a the prototype of all the American streamliners to come, and more specifically, those by the Union Pacific, which adopted the name “Streamliner” as its own. Before we examine it and its successors, we need to understand why the UP and other railroad companies, especially those in the West, were willing to gamble on this radical new form of small, light and fast equipment.

Between 1920 and 1932, passenger train-miles in the US plummeted from 47 billion to 16 billion, the result of the Depression and the increasing use of cars. It hit western railroads like the UP particularly hard, since they depended much more on tourist travel than the East Coast railroads with their dense inter-city rail networks.

It was the hope of luring travelers back on the trains with glamorous new streamliners, as well as their drastically lowered operating costs that spurred their rapid development. The M10000, along with the similarly groundbreaking stainless-steel Burlington Zephyr (right) that followed it by some months, brought out huge crowds on promotional tours of the country before going into actual revenue service. There was great interest in what was the perceived to be the equivalent of shiny airplanes rolling down the tracks.

It should be noted that the M10000 did not have a diesel engine, but a 600hp Winton V12 distillate (kerosene) engine, with carburetors and spark ignition. The reason was that Electro-Motive’s brand new two-stroke diesel engine, designed by Charles Kettering and operating on the same principles as the smaller Detroit Diesels, was not just quite ready yet. The Zephyr did take the plunge and used the new EMD Winton 201 diesel, but not without some risk.

That’s not to say that it was the first American application of diesel-electric rail motive power. Ironically, that was GE, in conjunction with Ingersoll-Rand. This 300 hp switcher from 1924 was the first, and led to a line of the first commercially successful switchers, with 600 hp. But GE played a distant second fiddle to EMD until recent years when they finally surpassed them.

In its extensive tests and tours of the US, the M10000, known as Little Zip, proved itself in stellar fashion. It cruised effortlessly at 90 mph, and could hit 110 mph.Eventually, it went into revenue service as the City of Salina, between Kansas City and Salina, KA. It was a small trainset, seating just108 passengers. But Union Pacific already ordered larger streamliners for its major routes.

The M10000 was hardly a handsome thing, looking more like worm than some of the other proposals. The similarities of its front end with the ill-fated Chrysler Airflow are all-too obvious.

Union Pacific’s second Streamliner, the 1935 sleeper-equipped M10001, was significantly longer but still fully-articulated (cars joined permanently, and sharing a joint truck in between them). It now had the new Model 201A Winton (GM) diesel, a V12 developing 900 hp at 750 rpm. The M10001 made the first coast-to-coast run of a diesel-electric, to test the feasibility of a 40 hour schedule, at a time when 60 hr coast-to-coast times were the norm. On this run, the M10001 covered the nine miles from Dix to Potter, Nebraska in 4½ minutes, or 120 mph. The total fuel cost for the 3248 mile trip was $70, or 60¢ per passenger. A comparable five-car steam train would have used $375 worth of fuel, and required numerous engine changes along the way. The diesel-electric proof-of-concept was highly convincing.

The 1936 M10002 really began to set the pattern for the future of the streamlined diesel-electric train: bigger and longer. The M10002 now had two power cars; the first (A unit) with a 1200 hp V16 version of the EMD-Winton diesel, and the shorter B unit with a 900 hp V12. The so-called City of Los Angeles went into service on the the premier Chicago-LA route, on a 39¾ hour schedule.

Union Pacific’s fourth Streamliner was the M10004 (there was no M10003), the City of San Francisco. This, along with identically-designed M10005 & M10006 City of Denver units, were the last UP Streamliner to have its power unit built by Pullman (with EMD propulsion). It also sported a distinctive new look, very automotive indeed. The power cars now both sported 1200 hp V16s each. The horsepower war was on.

By 1937, just three years after “Little Zip”, the definitive version of the classic streamlined train arrived on the UP, two additional new City of Los Angeles train sets. The two main changes were non-articulated full-height and width passenger cars, except for the two-car articulated chair-car set. And at the head end, there were three locomotives, and now built by EMD itself. These particular units were the EMD E-2, one A-unit, and two B-units, with 1800 hp each, two V12s per unit. With a combined rating of 5400 hp, the world had never seen anything like this before: a thundering powerhouse able to leap western mountain passes without breaking a sweat.

From the numbering sequence, the EMD E-series of passenger locomotives actually started with with this EA, a handsome unit built for the B&O in 1937. It was the first to sport the classic “slant-nose” style that soon became the standard for the type. But at this time, all EMD locos were essentially custom units, which explains why the UP’s E-2s (previous photo) had a different front end, a much more bulbous nose than the sleek EA. This pioneering locomotive is now in the B&O Museum in Baltimore, where I’ve had the privilege to pay my respects.

The EA’s nose also was used on Santa Fe’s E1s, which became iconic with their “war bonnet” paint jobs and pulled the legendary streamlined Super Chief. As in so many cases, the very first of this long line of locomotives was the purest, with its graceful faired-in headlight and clean lines.

The E3 marred that a bit, with its protruding upper headlight, as well as a second one. Now power was up to 2000hp per unit. And from here on forward, EMD units became increasingly less “custom” and more uniform, although there were still certain variations from the formula.

Burlington, which pioneered the fluted stainless-steel construction on it early Zephyrs, and which became the eventual standard for rail cars, also ordered its E5s with fluted sides to match. But it was the end of that era, and standardization soon became the norm. Note the different side-window treatment on each of these early Es.

And starting in 1938, all of them were powered by EMD’s definitive 567 engine, which replaced the pioneering 201, originally designed for submarine use and not the continuous high-power demands of a train . The 567 refers to its cylinder displacement (per cylinder), with an 8.5″ bore and 10″ stroke. Until 1966, when replaced by the new EMD 645, it ruled the tracks of America.

EMD’s new post-war version was the E7, and it now sported the more vertical and blunt “bull-dog” nose that has become so iconic. Here’s is the demonstrator, pulling GM’s 1947 “Train of Tomorrow”. Dieselization was now in full swing, and the railroads needed large numbers of motive power to replace the worn out equipment from the overwhelming WW2 years. Locomotives now became essentially standardized, and the E7 and subsequent E8 were the big sellers, with over a thousand units sold.

The E7’s new bull-dog nose came directly from EMD’s freight locomotives, which got their start with the 1939 FT. The key difference was that the F-Series were shorter, and with two-axle trucks instead of the three-axle trucks of the E-series. They used one V16 engine, starting with 1350 hp. The FT was the first of the legendary F-Series, which dominated the dieselization of freight trains.

Although originally designed for freight service, the F Series was also adopted widely in passenger service, with different gearing. This was especially the case in mountainous areas, as the F had relatively greater tractive force that the Es. Santa Fe was one of the pioneering adopters of the F3 and subsequent F5 and F7, and sometimes there were quite a few of them strung together on the head end.

So that brings us up to our E9, the last of this great series. Only some one hundred were built, with the UP being one of the bigger customers to complete its final upgrade between 1954 and 1956. A few more were bought in 1961 and 1963, the end of the line for the E-series.

The passenger train business was quickly drying up, and railroads had little interest in investing capital in a dying business. They made their existing units work for decades to come, and E9s (along with upgraded E7s and E8s) could be seen powering trains until well into the eighties and beyond. It wasn’t that long ago that they could still be spotted in commuter train work.

There’s a superb set of three E9s in this consist today (click picture for full size), two A units and a B unit in between. Some railroads preferred an A-B-B consist, but this arrangement makes “reversing” the train much easier. The big change in the E9 was a power bump, to 2400 hp (@ 800 rpm) in each unit, using the final EMD 567C prime movers, still with two V12s per unit. Here’s 72 cylinders capable of 7200 hp, throbbing away in front of you, eager to roll.

This is what they look like in the raw. In these older “hood” units, they were accessible inside the locomotive, which was handy in the earliest 201-powered versions for fixes on the go. But that rarely ever happened with these.

And here’s where that power meets the rails. Although the Blomberg-designed trucks have three axles each, all E-Series locomotives have only four traction motors (D 37) , on the front and rear axle of each truck. The middle axle is an idler, and as thus the configuration of these locomotives is A1A-A1A. This is the reason the shorter four-axle four motor F-Series had an advantage in the mountains. But although the Es preferred flatter terrain, they still had 56,500 lbs of starting tractive effort, and 31,000 lbs of continuous tractive effort (@ 11 mph).

Tractive effort is what it’s all about, when it comes to locomotives, and getting all that power down on a tiny contact patch of two smooth steel surfaces is a challenge. Locomotives are heavy for a good reason; the E9 weighs in at 315,000 lbs.

Oddly enough, this decal on the side of the E9 calls it a 0-6-6-0 class, which is the manner in which steam locomotives were described in their axle configuration. Odd; but a handsome decal anyway, from the glory days of GM’s EMD division. Undoubtedly, this unit built in 1955 helped contribute to GM being the first corporation in the world to post a billion dollar profit that year.

Let’s take a quick walk to the rear of the train, and see what we’ve got here sitting on this siding in Eugene, ready to pull out any minute.

Here’s the rear A unit, and the baggage car. The top of the nose on the UP Es is painted a dull green to reduce glare from the sun. And the unique “canopies” on their roofs is a UP modification to keep snow and rain out of the air intakes, after opening them up in order to improve air flow.

The consist is short tonight; passenger traffic just isn’t what it used to be.

A couple of coaches and sleepers, and a dining car, of course.

The observation dome will be the place to be tonight, except for the cab, of course. “All Aboard!”

How about me? What, I need a ticket? But there’s no station here…and I just stumbled into all of this…

Might as well stay a few minutes and wave it goodbye. At the rear is the the “business car” Shoshone. There must be some serious big-wigs aboard this train today. This is an old-school “heavy-weight” car, with six-axle trucks.

On second thought, the rear platform has even the dome car beat, at least on a warm summer evening. The Cascades will look fine from there. If only…

The only place better would be the view forward from the cab. Let’s at least watch it take off, and use our imaginations.

That door looks so inviting.

Anybody up there? Hello! I’ve learned it’s better to get thrown out than not risk trying to get into things I shouldn’t be in.

Empty. I wonder if I could just stow away in here somewhere? Not much going on in this seat.

Here’s where the action is. Wow; just like I always imagined. How many times have I played out this scenario in my mind? This whole train, just sitting here and pointed to the mountains, engines running, and nobody up here except me. Hmm; what does this big lever do? Let’s just give it a little nudge….

83 Comments

The only operational cab I’ve ever been in belonged to an ancient Alco switcher at Rigby Yard in South Portland, Maine. That was a rented mule compared to this thoroughbred. And it’s funny that Paul was able to just saunter in here, as railfans have been complaining since 2001 that railroad security is much tighter than it used to be.

About May of 1973, I rode in an amazingly bad PC F7 that had alarm bells going off the entire ride. A friend’s dad was the engineer and when I asked him about it, he just said, “It always does that!”. There was about a half inch of water in the back, mixed with lube oil that was leaking from somewhere. And wow, did it stink. On the way back, I was in a decent SD-40 that had just been repainted after a minor wreck.

When I lived in Vegas, I rode UP DD40AX 6915 twice. The first time from downtown Vegas to just past Cima and got picked up by a friend. The speed it was going at the south end of town was kind of scary, the crossings made it seem like it was going to go airborne. The guys in the cab laughed about it. The second time, I rode it from just East of San Bernardino to Cima, where the same friend picked me up. The climb up Cima was impressive, it was in notch 8, then suddenly in full dynamics. I enjoyed that one a lot more than the first ride in it. I saw 6915 not too long before it was retired and it was pretty sad. Good to see it’s survived in decent shape. Too bad it’s not running.

Last old one I rode in was in about 1997 or so, a real old timer, a “GP10”, which was actually some sort of upgraded GP9. It was this one, 7592, less the slug. I loved the sound of the 567 engine:

I really enjoyed this writeup, Paul. My grandfather worked for Southern, retiring after 45 years of service on both steam and diesel-electrics as a mechanic. He had some stories to tell, too…

As a child, the grands would take us to The Dwarf House (original Chick-fil-A) in Hapeville, Georgia, right across from the the tracks next to the Ford plant, and we’d sit in a booth and watch Southern’s rolling stock (GP30s most likely) amble past with a gentle rumble.

As EMD is now part of my employer’s product line, it’s great to learn a bit about their heritage, especially in such a colorful way…

Union Pacific restored these engines and cars for “special” trains, including VIP and inspection tours, employee appreciation trips, public events, etc. They also maintain a DD40X (largest and most powerful diesel electric built), and two large steam locomotives, an FEF-3 4-8-4, and a Challenger 4-6-6-4 (largest steam locomotive still operating).

BTW, UP Police would probably put one under arrest for something akin to “criminal trespass” for an unauthorized cab visit, not a good idea…

Actually, there were a couple of the crew standing right there, getting ready to climb up, as it was about 10 minutes before scheduled departure. I said something about whether anyone would mind if I take a few quick shots up there, started climbing, and nobody got excited. I did hear one voice saying that it probably wasn’t allowed and I should probably get back out, but by that time I had my two shots. I climbed out and said that I was sorry to hear that, and thank you very much!

Great write up and I so enjoyed. Reminds me of the pre-amtrac days riding the train over night (The Southwind) between my grandparents in Jacksonville, Fl and home in Nashville, Tn. Pretty exciting for a 12 year old. Last summer I just happened to see the Norfolk Southern business train rolling through Douglasville, GA while helping my dad move. The F units pulling it where just splendid along with everything else. Wished I had my camera. Was really a treat for a pretty bleak weekend. Thanks for sharing!

Not sure what the freight cars are now–not too many box cars, and the trains full of plywood racks are rare now. Lots of tankers, carrying God knows what inside. For what it’s worth, the switching locomotives are now remote controlled. Talk about a train set!

It might be a side effect of the poor economy, but lately the AMTRAK trains are keeping to the schedule. Back in 2005, trains could be 4 hours late coming from the north, and 7 hours late from the south. (The K-falls to San Jose leg could lose 3 hours by itself.) I think the law said AMTRAK has priority over freight trains, but the passenger trains spent a lot of time on sidings while the freights rolled through. Our minister’s family has a lot of occasions to travel to Salem, and they report the ability to meet the schedule is quite good both ways.

The train station is near downtown, and several motels are a short cab ride away. We do have some cabs, including the green van sporting a Yellow Cab sign.

Last I looked, there wasn’t much price advantage in reserving tix for a short hop. I’ve little experience with the motels, though my wife stayed a few days at Motel 6 when we were house hunting. Typical for the chain; OK but noisy.

Neil

Posted July 18, 2016 at 4:39 PM

Re late arrivals, an insider claimed that sometimes Amtrak must wait for high-priority intermodal transcons. Unsure if there’s an official operating rule about this or not, but I’d be unsurprised if the railroads wished they didn’t have to work around Amtrak, given the high tempo of freight operations I’ve seen.

If railroads tolerated freight-hopping, I suppose they’d get sued for mishaps.

My first train ride was summer, 1959 on the Wabash Blue Bird from Delmar Station in University City, MO to Decatur, IL on a cub scout day trip.

Mom rode along as an escort for the boys and as an August day, quite hot. Our car was a Vista Dome and boy, was it hot up there. It eventually cooled down some, but I stayed downstairs for the most part.

An awesome experience.

Amtrak used a lot of E8 and E9 locomotives until the 1908’s, then the F-40 became the norm.

Burlington Northern, who operated commuter trains out of Chicago used many E9s, I believe.

Amtrak used whatever was left them. The E-8 and E-9s were long past their “use by” date but it’s what they got. They also used GPs 9 through 38 and SDs; simply because it’s what the railroads wrote off with their passenger equipment and deeded over to it.

Before the F-40 there was another EMD model they experimented with…memory escapes me. But by the time the F-40 came to be there was an understanding they needed to standardize equipment and move away from steam generators and cars of unequal height.

Before I went to work on the railroad, I cadged a ride on an old dome car…it was tied into an Amtrak consist, the Broadway Limited, but roped off. I was a Navy man on leave, and talked the conductor into letting me and my beer up top.

Tremendous ride. I wouldn’t appreciate it now, having spent 13 years at the throttle…but it was a great time that night, speeding across Indiana and Ohio in the moonlight.

I believe you are referring to the GE P-30, “Pooches” they called them. The last vestige of the Alco PAs. Either that or the EMD SDP-40F, which had derail issues on some lines and were speed-restricted and eventually disposed of.

I spent lots of time riding in Vista Domes through the years. I had the opportunity to ride the original California Zephyr on the Western Pacific from Marysville, CA to Sacramento a few times in early 1970 when in the air force before it was discontinued that spring. A sad day, as the train was always very well maintained.

Our kids got to experience one once on a day trip I took them on from Kirkwood, MO to Jefferson City and back in November, 1984. A perfect day, a perfect ride and boy, did they get a thrill out of it!

Our kids were raised on Amtrak in the 1980’s as it was convenient to use out of the St. Louis area. A train ride about every six months! Breakfast in the diner is what wifey loves. I agree!

It would have been a great unit; based as it was on the SD-40, which remains the workhorse of CSX and regional lines. But it was involved in a series of derailments; for some reason the truck was suspect. Not sure if the truck was modified for high-speed use (they were spec’d as having a top speed of 100) or if it was unmodified and it believed the three-axle truck of the time was being pushed beyond its limits.

In any event, Amtrak sold off the fleet to AT&SF and focused on the F-40, which was never intended to be a long-haul and mountain unit. Problems they had over its life reflect that.

will

Posted July 18, 2012 at 7:02 AM

I’ve read that the issue was probably the location of their water storage tanks. They were mounted too high, and as they emptied were of course prone to sloshing. When the locomotive hit a curve at high speed and a few thousand pounds of water went into the side of the tank, you get serious stability problems. Add that to the bad track common at the time, and you get lots and lots of derailments.

Neil

Posted July 18, 2016 at 4:20 PM

An alternative explanation is harmonics with a light baggage car behind the loco. Whatever the reason, it was apparently a tricky failure analysis, as the SDP-40F was a derivative design almost identical to the earlier SDP-40 & other C-C EMD passenger locos.

Great article, and more proof that your observations shouldn’t be just confined to road vehicles. These units look spotless, and even the trucks shine…Is this typical for this company, or had they just been tarted up?

It’s the UP’s special 150th Anniversary train, traveling the country. For a while, the UP’s famous “844, a 4-8-4 steam engine was on the front, until sidelined with mechanical problems. It visited Eugene some years back; awesome take off!

The Challenger came to Eugene…what a sight as the front engine swung away fron the boiler heading into the station track with flames spewing from the firebox. You can only understand the awesomeness standing right there!
Last I saw of the Northern was at LAUPT’s anniversary celebration in ’89. Was working the info. table for OERM when up came an old quiet gent pushed in a wheelchair. No one in the crowd seemed to notice him, but I’m pretty sure he was the illustrious movie actor Don Defore (aka Thorny Thornbury of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet). Never have confirmed this. [Was probably the only famous old-timer from tinseltown to be there.] And he ran one of the original dining venues at Disneyland. RIP, Thorny!
After the events, had a giant borrowed videocam and got great shot of 4449 running through a cut near City of Industry from above. (Preserved) Later, jumped up on a wall at the Colton Yard ahead of a whole crowd of chasers and got amazing line of 844 running in…but wouldn’t you know it, the darn film cartridge popped open when I hopped up and I lost the entire run! Old cumbersome technology.

For their executive units and the DD40AX, yes, for everything else, no, not hardly. They only seem to get washed when they have major repairs or an overhaul. No major railroad spends a dime to keep most of their units clean. Some are pretty sad looking, especially when they hit the 20 year old mark.

To me, that Union Pacific means Christmas 1950 and a Lionel 027 setup. Just sold the entire set about three years ago, piece by piece. I hadn’t run it for years, and would rather have it being cared for by someone who appreciated it than sitting in the attic for yet another decade.

And isn’t it normal for a father to buy a complete Lionel setup for his six month old son on his first Christmas?

Oh yeah, the money from that Lionel setup is what bought me my Porsche.

I rode head-end in an E-8 or E-9 on Amtrak’s Broadway Limited in 1977. I was studying locomotive control cabs at the time as I was designing the control cabs for the new Amtrak AEM-7 ASEA locomotives. We got a hot bearing indication and had to stop in the midst of Horse Shoe curve around Altoona, PA. I did an inspection with the train engineer.

My wife came from a Southern RR family. Her father was in labor relations and travelled extensively on the Southern system. On more than one occasion he brought me back Mason jars filled with shine. Yum.

My wife’s uncle was the ramrod for Southern’s dieselization after WWII. The Southern was the first RR to completely dieselize. Many of the huge steam locomotives built during WWII, as the big mutha in the Smithsonian in DC. were cut up and sold for scrap. We inherited a brass bell from one of these behemoths from my wife’s parents. Damn thing must weigh 400 pounds (181 kg).

On a fairly regular basis, my wife’s uncle would bring his Central of Georgia (wholly owned subsidiary of the of the Southern) business car up to DC and park it at Washington Union Terminal. I never got to partake in the evening dinners that my wife and father-in-law attended (not because I wasn’t invited, just a schedule conflict). The menu generally consisted of peanut soup, prime rib, bourbon, and poker, served by two attendants in crisp, white linen blazers (?) and black bow ties. Very Southern.

I must echo ImpCapn – First a New Yorker, then an iconic train. A great day indeed.

This reminds me of train travel on the other end of the country- as a kid we would board a sleeper car in Fort Wayne, Indiana and ride the Pennsylvania Railroad to visit grandparents in Philadelphia. The overnight trip was always an adventure, and my Granddad would be waiting for us at the station in Paoli to pick us up in his white 1962 Cadillac.

A few years ago my family and I took an Amtrak train from Indianapolis and Chicago for a vacation. It was a fairly short ride as train travel goes, and between the Amtrak rides and the El around the loop in Chicago, I got my rail fix. But I must say that some of the magic I remember from riding the Pennsylvania in the 1960s seemed to be gone. Or maybe it was just that I was a kid.

Great writing Paul! I remember my cub scout troop taking the train from Detroit to Toledo and back in the late 1950’s.We explored every car on that train, but they wouldn’t let us near the engine. I also can remember the steam whistles late at night from the old steam engines on the railroad tracks about a mile east of Woodward Ave. near 7 Mile Road. I’m definitely getting old.

I really hate to do it…but there’s a few things that need correcting here; and some clarifications.

First, the Blomberg truck. The three-axle truck may have been designed by EMD engineer Martin Blomberg; but his name is attached to the iconic two-axle truck that was used in EMD F-series and GP road switchers from 1938 until the last GP-60 order in 1988.

Second…”Hood Units” are what are universal today – when they replaced “carbody” diesel locomotives gradually, starting in 1947. The EMD E and F series are carbodies; called “covered wagons” by railroaders.

Finally…you’d have no way of knowing it, but the interior of that E-9 was completely refurbished either by the Union Pacific or a rebuilder. The control stand, is an AAR standard unit – which didn’t come to be until the mid-1960s.

I’ve never been in an E in original configuration; but photos I’ve seen show a myriad of controls, including ropes for horns, switches for engaging radiator fans; a transition lever; and freestanding brake valves.

Meaning no rebuke; and hoping it’s taken in the spirit I’m offering it.

The Es trucks were definitely designed by Blomberg; but you’re right that his two-axle trucks are commonly called by his name.

I do know about these E9s being refurbished. It was obvious that the controls had a number of modern aspects and additions that weren’t there originally. As a matter of fact, these units have been re-powered with a single 645 engine in each unit, replacing the twin 567s.

“Oddly enough, this decal on the side of the E9 calls it a 0-6-6-0 class, which is the manner in which steam locomotives were described in their configuration. Odd; but a handsome decal anyway, from the glory days of GM’s EMD division.”

For some reason, EMD continued to do that on builder’s plates right up until the late 1970s.

I’ve looked at literally hundreds of SD-40s and GP-38s and SW-1500s, varying in age from 1966 up until 1982; and on the units that still have the original plates (not all do) they’re identified that way.

Old customs, such as identifying units by wheel arrangements…they die hard on the railroad. Up until five years ago, on the FRA Blue Cards, there was still a box for Steam Generator pressure and inspection date.

Steam generators were used to generate heat for passenger coaches. In the days of steam, live steam was just piped from the boiler to the pipe that ran through the coaches. When diesels came into use, railroads fitted a mini-boiler heating plant in the engine room to generate steam to heat.

Those went away a few years after Amtrak took over; and yet the FRA Blue Card still had that box; and requred it to be marked “N/A.” Right up past 2002.

Its not just a railroad thing, its more the inertia of large institutions.

I was at a classic semi-truck show two years ago and one of the guys showing his truck was showing off a log book page found in the dash during restoration. IIRC it was from the 1940s and looked identical to the form used today.

Paul, a great write up! The E-8/E-9 and the F series with the classic bull dog face is THE American diesel locomotive. How nice it would be to see the modern day EMD get back into the passenger diesel locomotive business and what better way would it be then to have a “Retro” version of this classic engine brought back to life again!

Speaking of engines, the Winton/EMC V-12 made it into the Coast Guard’s fleet of 205 foot Fleet Tugs classed as WMEC’s. In 1977 I was assigned onboard one of them, the USCGC Chilula, in Atlantic Beach, NC. Onboard, I worked in B1 engine room where we had 4 of these engines, side by side. During an occasional full power trial, with all 4 main engines on line at full throttle was an experience never forgotten. It was enough for this young Oiler to keep the main engine fuel oil day tanks filled with fuel as these monsters roared below the upper catwalk! Since the Chilula was commisioned in the World War II years, it was a testament to the designers and builders of those engines in their ability to run and run. But boy, they did leak oil! I can still picture the light off procedures in my mind……….checking the lube oil level (9250 oil or 30 weight), checking the water level in the expansion tanks (the coolant was straight water mixed with a chromate additive which gave the water a bright yellow look)……….pre-lubeing the main crankshaft bearings by opening some bypass valves and then cranking a 4 foot long handle back and forth until you had lube oil pressure reading on the gauge panel (quite a workout, especially in the cold weather months when that 30 weight was thick!),,,,,,,,opening up each cylinders blow down valve and then with the governor and throttle off, pushing back on the high pressure air start lever. Doing this introduced high pressure air into the cylinders and out through the blow down valves. After all cylinders were clear, the next step was to close all blow down valves, open the throttle valve and push back on the air start valve…………….Like a giant monster coming to life, one cylinder would fire, followed by another and another and then the whole engine would catch. A final check of oil and fuel pressures and a walk around and then it was onto the next main engine. Talk about The Wall Of Sound! What better way for a young man of 19 to be entering the service then to be around these engines and having the chance to turn a wrench on them!

Our manuals for our V-12 201’s were as aged as the old girl. They weren’t EMD’s, rather, EMC’s as in Electro Motive Corporation, based out of Cleveland. The US Navy had quite a few of these 205 foot ATF’s in their fleet, all to support the war effort and provide salvage and towing capabilities as needed anywhere in the world. The Coast Guard wound up with several. The Tamaroa was involved in the rescue effort made famous in the book The Perfect Storm. The movie shows a 210 foot cutter which is inaccurate. My old boat was decommisioned and sunk in the 90’s, having served her country well and provided a lot of memories for those who served on her!

Electro-Motive Company was the original name for the business. It was started independently in 1922, in Cleveland. They were designers, not manufacturers; when they cast about for a diesel engine for their concept, they settled on Winton Engine Company as a provider.

Winton had other attention at that time, also…GM was interested in buying it. And when the deal was done, they decided on purchasing Winton’s primary customer, EMC.

It wasn’t until 1941, however, that Electro-Motive lost its corporate identity as a stand-alone business and became, officially, Electro-Motive DIVISION. Probably the reorganization and tightening of ties to GM was to help with war contracts…Winton and EMC, those were unknown names. How viable WERE they? But if they were, obviously, proudly, DIVISIONS of great, good General Motors…why, there’s no risk a-TALL on awarding a contract!

Today, of course, EMD is separate from GM. It was sold in 2005 to Greenbriar Equity, and in 2010 purchased by Caterpillar.

It’s sad that GM managed to screw up EMD, as they had screwed up the car business. The 50 series of locos had serious issues, and with GE finally making a decent product (My friend’s dad, who worked for NYC/PC/Conrail had all kinds of colorful phrases for GE locos, such as “Generally Expensive”, Generally explosive (A term that has come back into use with the GEVO kabooms), and “Greatly Eccentric”) they ended up taking the locomotive sales lead. I’ve ridden on Alco (S-2), EMD(F9, GP=7+9, SD-45, SD-40, SD60I),, Baldwin(Don’t know), and Fairbanks Morse(Trainmaster) diesels, but so far, I’ve only been in one GE, a brand new Dash-8, sitting at a signal at 4am. The crew knew me and my dog (Who a lot of them knew by name) after seeing me in my cars watching trains over the years, and decided that I could be trusted not to blab about coming on board.

This E9 was built the same month and year that I was born…alright!! Paul, I was very lucky in 1979 to ride in the cab of one of these twice on VIA Rail up here in Canada. The first was up in Northern Ontario on the CNR mainline from Hornpayne to Folyet and then on the way home to Vancouver at the stop in Lake Louise, Alberta I went up and asked the Engineer if it would be OK for a ride…he said OK and I got to ride down the hill through the Spiral Tunnels to Field BC…once in a lifetime chance for sure. Nothing like that would ever happen now!

Jesus… what a beautiful sight to stumble upon. And what balls to hop right inside, LOL… nicely done!

I remember admiring F7s (and Alco FA’s!) blasting through my local station and wishing they would stop. The LIRR used them to pull commuter trains up until the late 1990’s, and they were really beat up by then… but still obviously cooler than the M1 and M3 units I was used to riding living in electrified territory. They had 1950’s vintage Pullman coaches behind them too, right up until the switchover to brand new EMD DM/DE30’s (a GM Deadly Sin).

Worth noting that those old LIRR cabs weren’t pulling, but being pushed by newer units on the other end. They were real life “dummy” units, with control stands but no engines or traction motors. You can see that various grilles and access doors have been covered or welded shut.

In recent years Amtrak did the same thing with old F40PHs. It’s called a “Cabbage”: cab and baggage, with access from a roll-up garage door on the side.

So if the power was coming from the rear, was there a second set of controls in the dummy end? I’ll often see a train running with a sole, backwards facing DM/DE pushing coaches and I’ve always assumed that’s how they were set up… must have controls in the passenger cars. I really have no idea, though. For all I know they just cross their fingers and hope nothing goes wrong.

Here’s the backwards train phenomenon in action, in case I’m explaining it poorly:

There’s both kinds. What you showed in the video is a specially-designed passenger car with a small operator’s compartment with full controls. They have the same thing on the Bay Area Peninsula commuter trains.

The “dummy” units are used when there is no such special control car. Our NW Corridor “Cascade” Talgo trains have a dummy FP40 on one end. I’l do a little post on them soon.

Chicago METRA and Amtrak California do that with some of their operations. Yes, they have “cabs” (operator stations with control stands) on the leading end. It’s old technology to have controls run electrically through MU (“multiple unit”) cables; locomotives’ engine controls have been “fly-by-wire” since before the term came to be.

It’s also used on Road Slugs (locomotive shells with the diesel out; that retain traction motors and sometimes cabs and controls) where there’s a control stand with no engine in the carbody. Also some Jordan Spreaders (wedge snowplows) have a cupola cab with controls.

But to run the M.U wires the entire length of the train, along with the three air-control lines, is quite the mess. I’ve never looked at that sort of setup, but I have to wonder if it’s all done with digital electronics.

Loved this write up, Paul! I’ve always admired trains, and love to get my hands on books where characters are wrapped up in the mystery and suspense of train hopping. I myself have only been on a train once, from Paris to Madrid. Unfortunately for me, I spent the majority of the trip nursing my motion sickness! Still love them, though!

Don’t need books for railroad mystery & suspense, just check old newspaper articles. Recall one where a guy riding Espee down from Portland murdered and dumped a woman. Police waited all along the line to grab him, and they did!
Also have original LA Times for 1958 when a guy threatened to blow up the Sunset Limited with dynamite unless a bag-o-cash was dropped outside the city. FBI ran him down with no explosions. And if you look at the front access door on carbody units, there’s a story about how one that opened inwards made for a bad situation when a boulder encountered the engine…glad I wasn’t that guy. (Retired railroaders can scare the beejeezus out of you with what they’ve seen.)
BTW, when I looked under that E9 there were some freerider metal objects that could become nasty projectiles if jerked loose at speed…ref. Murphy’s Laws of Physics.

We often saw these units pulling alongside Hwy. 60-70-99 (today’s Interstate 10) on the way from L.A. to Palm Springs, where the tracks paralleled the highway. If you were lucky, you could get the engineer to wave at you as we paced the trains for a short distance.

My father often traveled throughout the west and midwest in the mid-50’s on these passenger trains, I can recall taking him to Union Station in downtown L.A. to board the train, and seeing these and feeling the throb of their engines rumbling in the station. Once we picked him up at the Indio train station, he was on his way home from a business trip somewhere, and we (mom, my brother and I) were already in Palm Springs for a vacation with my grandmother, so we met him there. My father had befriended the crew somehow, so while it was idling in the station where he got off, the engineer lifted me up in the cab for a look-see. I remember being frightened of this iron monster, afraid it would take off with me inside. Great memories, such a part of the American roadside experience, long forgotten by most.

The photo of the Santa Fe E1 in the war bonnet paint with the palm trees in the background appears to be from the San Diego Union Station, still there today, functioning as an Amtrack station.

Wow. My maternal grandfather worked for the PRR for 50 years, first as a fireman and then as an engineer between 1917 and 1967, when he retired. He drove freight, mostly between Columbus (OH) and Indianapolis, or so I am told. One of my earliest memories of this was one day when I was maybe 3 to 4 years old when my young uncle and grandmother took me out on the west side of Columbus to meet him at a grade crossing on this way back from Indy. We got there right as the lights were flashing and I remember being terrified at crossing the tracks! We pulled around to nose the car up towards the right of way (a curbside classic that would be – a ’52 Chevy Club Coupe) and then came the big green F unit from the west with my grandfather leaning out the cab window and giving a big wave – my uncle caught it on camera and that photo hung in my bedroom for years. In the time leading up to his retirement he headed up a crew in the Pennsy yard, shifting cars and making local deliveries. He used to let me drive the switch engine. Heady stuff for a 10 year old kid! Great story!

That picture of the Burlington E5 9911A brings me back to when I was a kid. We lived about a hour and a half drive from the Illinois Railway Museum where the unit and the Nebraska Zephyr are kept, in operable condition. When I was about 9 years old I got to ride int he cab of the E5 for a 45 minute run on the museum’s main line. I’ll never forget the sound of the twin V-12 567B engines throttling up to move the train. The sound those things made amazed me, even at 9 years old. I blame that ride for my fascination with old EMD “covered wagons”.

Beautiful shots of those UP E9s. I’ve seen them a couple of times when they have passed through the western suburbs of Chicago. Technically UP should call them E38-2s as from what I remember they were repowered with engines, generators, and traction motors from GP38-2s. The are still a sight to behold. I’ve seen UP 844 twice as it’s passed through Chicago. I still haven’t seen UP Challenger 3985 or Souther Pacific 4449, both of which I need to see/ride behind some day.

Mr. Niedermeyer, SIR!!!! As I take ‘pen-in-hand’ === I will be the first of MANY retired U.P. employee [Engineers, and conductors] who are gonna post. As Mr. Zachman pointed out, there is a great little run from St. Lou thru Jeff city to K.C. Had that run for a while; the Dupo [Illinois] to Poplar Bluff [Mo.], and later, to Memphis. On the C&EI- the Salem [Il.] to Poplar Bluff. And my main runs- the coal fields of Illinois to Dupo. I’m not gonna tell more for now, except, i did get to ride the ‘Challenger’ X-3985- [4-6-6-4]-WHAT A BEAST! I can only imagine what the ‘Big Boy’ was like!

Right now, thanks to my brother sending this GREAT piece-I’m forwarding to ALL my UP guys, and gals. stay Tuned!

Tremendous article! Not just excellent pictures of this wonderful UP EMD E9, but the comprehensive history behind it. Wow.

I would never have had the nerve to climb up in that cab, I’m glad you did! How well do you know those controls? Could you have taken her down the line? Reminds me of the scene in “Transsiberian” when railfan Woddy Harrelson tries to escape from bad guys in a Russian locomotive.

I would have gone down to Portland Union Station to see them Saturday, but we were at the coast. I have had the great experience of riding with our famous SP 4449 on an excursion train from Portland up the Columbia Gorge past The Dalles to the wye at Wishram, Wa., and back. That was one exciting trip. There’s nothing like looking out at a million pounds of steam locomotive pulling you round the curve at 60 mph, trailing steam out the stack.

OK, here’s a car question. Back in the late fifties, when dual headlights came on the scene, it wasn’t immediately obvious how to deploy them on the front of a car. One seemingly good idea was to follow locomotive practice, low beams out at the sides, to illuminate the shoulders like ditch lights, and high beams up in the center, to light far down the road.

Why do they look so great on one GM product, this EMD F3, and so horrible on this GM styling study (MrJynx) for the ’59 Chevy?

Too bad that won’t be pulling my next train: I am leaving on Amtrak from San Diego on Sunday, heading to Raton NM with a group of Boy Scouts. (They keep the station in Raton op-en in the summer solely for Boy Scouts headed to the nearby Philmont Scout Ranch.) It’s the old UP Super Chief route.
The boys were excited to take the train — they chose it over flying, even though it’s a 25-hour trip. Hope it gives them some nostalgia for train travel…

The trouble with Amtrak today is, they provide raw transportation – at a premium price – but leave out almost all of what made people choose train travel in the mid-20th Century, when they had a choice between car, train and air..

Like the dome cars…GONE. The skylighted lounge cars don’t even come CLOSE to approacing the dome cars.

Like the lounge cars, smoking permitted. I’m not a smoker; but I understand the importance of being able to engage in your vice. Someone smoking eight cars away, does NOT affect me, a non-smoker!

Like the observation cars. What a great vista, riding on the rear…seeing the countryside recede. You’ll never see it on modern Amtrak trains…the train-car consist is abruptly cut off; and if you stare out the door of the rear, the car attendant will want to know what you’re doing, if you’re maybe suicidal.

After dinner in an Amtrak diner, you probably will be. Have courage, though…the Bar Car has genuine booze in little airline bottles. Spendy, but you can blunt your alienation….

I don’t mind the lack of such pampering, as long-distance rail travel is still way more comfortable than cramped airliners, and for us it was cheaper too.

But the problem we had was more intractable (when taking the Sunset Ltd. to LA): It arrived so early at Union Station, the rental-car desks weren’t open yet, and as our relatives were not available to pick us up either, we had no choice but to loiter around until they opened shop. This is not going to help draw converts from among experienced air travelers.

Took the auto-train last summer. What an absolutely wonderful trip. The Amtrak staff I dealt with were courteous and helpful. The food in the dining car was EXCELLENT – far better than I expected. All around a great experience and I’d take the train again if possible – beats the hell out of being crammed into a 737 with its ever shrinking seat pitch.

The only real downside was the condition of the roadbed on the host freight railroad – made for at times a rough ride.

Paul-what a great post! I really appreciate your fascination with locomotives and trains.
It reminds me of the time around 1990 I got a chance to ride on a steam excursion pulled by Norfolk & Western 1218-what a ride! There’s nothing like watching a steam locomotive trailing smoke and steam, watching the drive wheels in action and getting an
occasional cinder in the eye.

To Mike PDX. that great pic is of the engine SP-4449 used on the excursion train? Looks exactly like the “Northern” [4-8-4] of the “Sunset Limited”, or the “20th Century Limited” which, i believe, is the train in “North by Northwest” with Cary Grant, and Eva Marie Saint.

BTW: there is NO direction as ‘North by Northwest’, and did you recognize ‘hitch’ in the opening scene of the movie?

I worked as a Cab supply man for Union Pacific in Green River Wyoming in the late 60’s to the 70’s. I was the one that supplied heating fuel & water to the cabooses. I also cleaned them up for the next crew etc. I loved my job. Around 1976 or 77 I was laid off because they were discontinuing using cabooses. Many of the cabooses were very old. They used coal to heat them. Many were modern. I always loved to be around trains. Saw many things in that huge train yard. It is a good memory.

Man, what an awesome article my friend. Riding freight from Klamath Falls to Roseville is a beauty, even though I didn’t have a legal ride. I really enjoyed the pictures of the old cabs and passenger trains. Nice read.

I know in the late 1960s, the AT&SF railroad ordered EMD FP-45 locomotives for the Super Chief/El Capitan passenger train. The FP-45 was basically an SD-45 with a cowl body. They were all painted in the classic “warbonnet” paint scheme.

The Orange Empire Railroad Museum in Riverside CA. has Union Pacific E9 #942. It has undergone a cosmetic restoration and a mechanical refurbishment and is in operation. Unlike U.P’s E9’s, #942 retains its twin 12V567 prime movers. The OERM also has an A.T.&S.F. FP45 undergoing a completed restoration.

The slightly later FL9 was a fixture of my youth. These were interesting beasts made for the specific challenge of serving Grand Central Station in New York City, which forbid anything that produced exhaust in the underground tunnels. The solution was to fit 3rd rail pickup shoes and some additional electrical gear to allow the FL9 to run as an electric locomotive on the NY Central trackage into GCT and as a diesel out in the open. The FL9 is instantly recognizable by its odd axle layout with a standard 2 axle truck under the cab and a 3 axle truck in the rear to support the extra weight of the 3rd rail switch gear.
BTW you can virtually get behind the throttle since there was a Microsoft Train Simulator add on with E units, and I believe some of the newer train simulators also have E or F units.
As an aside the British Class 73 & 74 Electro-Diesel locomotive are the opposite of the FL9, since they are electric locomotives with an auxiliary generator to allow limited running on non-electrified branch lines.

I read this and immediately thought of a song called “The Monkey and The Engineer”, which the Grateful Dead used to perform in concert (the song was written by Jesse Fuller).

Once upon a time there was an engineer.
Drove a locomotive both far and near.
Accompanied by a monkey that would sit on a stool
Watching everything the engineer would do
One day the engineer wanted a bite to eat,
He left the monkey sitting on the driver’s seat,
The monkey pulled the throttle, the locomotive jumped the gun
And did 80 miles an hour down the mainline run.

Big locomotive right on time, big locomotive coming down the line.
Big locomotive no. 99, left the engineer with a worried mind.

Joe, your song brought to mind my personal favorite railroad poem
“My Job”
I’m not allowed to run the train, the whistle I can’t blow
I’m not allowed to say how far the railroad cars can go
I’m not allowed to shoot off steam nor even clang the bell
But let it jump the rusty track
Then see who catches hell.

I don’t know if it still exists, but on a visit to Seattle maybe 20 years ago, we took a dinner train excursion that ran from Tacoma up along Lake Washington to Woodinville and back to Tacoma. Motive power was old EMD F units, kitchens were refitted baggage and RPOs and the Dining Rooms were old streamlined dome cars. The views were exquisite and prix fix dinner was pretty damn good. I recall that it was a little pricey, but worth every penny.
I regularly take Amtrak trains from Savannah to Fayetteville NC. It’s cheaper than driving the Silverado, takes about the same amount of time as driving, and during the trip, you can kick back with a beer and burger in the club car while watching movies on my tablet. Their on time record is much better than airlines. It sure beats driving.

In 2005 during the Lewis and Clark bicentennial my family and I took the special L&C train to Astoria from Portland for the weekend. Everyone but me is related to Meriwether Lewis. The motel we stayed in was literally 20 ft from the RR tracks in Astoria. We got around by walking or riding the Astoria trolley. It was a very relaxing weekend as a family would have spent it a century earlier as far as transportation. Didn’t miss driving a bit the whole weekend. I wish they would have kept the train running after the bicentennial.

The story is more…a special on-board dinner related to politics (an unfortunate necessary evil for railroads that want to conduct transport of controversial commodities through a community). Didn’t seem to help their cause here. There is a numbered pin that went to diners that night–got mine from… (‘nough said). Did ride the train north and back, thence Springfield and return. Dome and obsy…what a joy. Wierd thing…found this while looking into history of Eugene decal maker Potter Manufacturing…up jumped your E-unit decal comment. Small e-world.
Oh, BTW…also rode the LAX-SLO Amtrak Special behind extra SP4449 back in ’77. Might say it was the last chance for a real Coast Daylight trip, even if the equipment was foreign roads. That will never happen again…especially at those prices!! Still have all the paper stuff.

Those were the most beautiful locomotives ever built. It’s too bad that GM, Ford and Chrysler didn’t use some of that gorgeous locomotive streamlining styling on their passenger cars in the 50s and 60s. There could’ve been some beautiful cars designed back then, but it just wasn’t meant to be. At least the locomotives were beautiful.